Exploring Students’ Perspectives on Critical Thinking Integration in College Pre-health Science Education
Year: 2020
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Educators and healthcare practitioners increasingly recognize the importance of critical thinking (CT) in health sciences education. CT encompasses knowledge, its evaluation/synthesis, and habits of mind. Perspectives from scholars emphasize features that inform a range of theories on CT integration. This research foregrounded the perspectives of college pre-health science students. A case study was conducted to address three research questions: What are the students’ perspectives on 1) what constitutes CT; 2) its role as integrated in pre-health science courses; and 3) the challenges experienced with CT integration? Quantitative/qualitative data was gathered from survey questionnaires at the start of the program. Qualitative data was collected from classroom observations during CT-integrative activities, and individual semi-structured interviews. Inductive-deductive content analysis revealed several themes. Students collectively characterized CT as habits of mind, content and processes aimed at comprehensively, objectively, rationally and normatively ascertaining “truth”. During integrative science activities, students applied CT to learn science content intuitively or consciously depending on their prior science knowledge. CT’s amenability for integration within subjects depended on the students’ prior subject knowledge and perceptions of the comparative nature of subjects to that of CT. Furthermore, how students anticipated CT in healthcare framed their beliefs on CT integration into science curriculum. Challenges with CT integration stemmed from incongruencies between its expected manifestations in healthcare versus its portrayal in education. In education, formalized CT and subject-specific incompatibility felt inauthentic, and risked undermining the learning of science content. A lack of socialization to ambiguity due to CT integration begged more guidance from professors to provide definitiveness over scientific claims. Therefore, authentic CT integration that resonates with students hinges upon a threshold of prior knowledge in individual subjects and CT. Acclimation to CT that is simultaneous with building foundational scientific knowledge might reveal opportunities for conscious and complex integration. Sustained opportunistic integration leveraging natural intersections might acclimate students to CT as part of their education, and further reveal its relevance in healthcare. This thesis concludes with recommendations for theory and practice.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Bernard Ho
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3137468611